Man, I guess I should feel glad that most of the crazy martial arts folks I have encountered at college have not been grudge bearing wakadoos with plots to defeat me in front of their students to prove a point, but at the same time I feel like I'm missing out on something. Anyway keep them coming, I'm really enjoying the read.

There's just two things that I want to make sure I understand: first, at this point in the story, you've more or less given up on Ninjutsu and are studying Judo, correct? Second, at this point in your story, are you feeling like you wasted your time with Ninjutsu?

Keep it comin', man!

1. At this point of the story I am training at a dojo at does a few things. We would have Kihon Jujutsu (Drilling Throws, Self Defense, etc.) for the first hour and the second 2 hours we would focus on a speciality such as Ko-ryu Kata, Kenjutsu, Bojutsu or Competition Judo depending on the day. We spared in the Kihon Jujutsu class, but we didn't use IJF ruleset (such as allowing Leg Locks) and saved IJF rule sparring for competition class. We weren't prepping anyone for nationals, we competed locally, so we didn't need focus solely on IJF rules randori.

2. I don't regret it. I pulled a few things out of Ninjutsu training I still use today. I still on occasion counter a Tomoe Nage with a Cartwheel into North-South. My rolls and evasion I learned from years of sabaki training I still use today. In fact a little over a year ago I was doing some stick sparring with a Escrima instructor friend and going even with him by evading just out of the range of his stick and counter attacking like the stick was a wakazashi. While most of that came from my Kenjutsu training, the basic footwork and movement I first learn during my time in Ninjutsu.

Apparently, Jiggle Butt (DerAuslander/MadMonk) did not approve of the fact that I skipped over the Throwdown experiences.

It started in September 2005 where we organized a regional throwdown at one of the member’s academies. It was your average MMA sparring session except for 1 member. He was one of Bullshido’s Kung Fu “experts.” As of 2013 they are long gone, but 8 years ago, we had several, and they were very large posters of Bullshido. At first, it was just fine, he spars with us and was sane but over time it got worse. With the Bullshido BJJihad posters attacking the crew for everything from TKD sparring, Knife Sparring/LaRPing (depending on who was describing it) and sub par grappling, the “Kung Fu expert” slowly lost his mind. This cumulated into a Parking Lot Gong Sau between the “Kung Fu expert” dressed as a walking 80s bad guy stereotype and a Bullshido Moderator that ended with the Kung Fu Expert attacking a girl half his size and a Bullshido Moderator GnPing the Kung Fu expert in a parking lot in front of a Masonic Lodge. The rest of us were far removed from the situation, we just wanted to hang out and spar. Many of us are still friends today.

The build up is one of the Kung Fu posters was in town from China and staying with the Kung Fu “expert,” so 2 of the Bullshido Female Muay Thai Kickboxers and 1 of the Moderators drove up to what was suppose to a Kung Fu vs MT sparring match. Despite having numerous gym locations they could of used the Kung Fu expert decided a parking lot was the best location for this sparring match.

Here are some videos of the “discussion”:

Video of the Gang Sau:

I skipped over this as this had little to do with me as I was only a part by tangent as being part of the Throwdown crew.

One story involving me from the throwdowns that is worth sharing is, the second throwdown was not at an academy. It was in an abandon building. You see we were suppose to have it at the Kung Fu “expert’s” school, except it wasn’t his school, at least he didn’t have a key and there was an angry chinese man that was yelling and he called to cops on the Kung Fu “expert.” As we were going to call it a day, a guy offers us his building for the throwdown. I have no idea where this guy came from. What he leads us to is a building under heavy construction, we climb a ladder (no stairs) to the second floor, where the windows are open to the street. We put down some mats and throwdown. People had to stay near the windows to make sure people didn’t roll out into the street so we only had 1 match at a time. Holy **** that was dumb.

Apparently, Jiggle Butt (DerAuslander/MadMonk) did not approve of the fact that I skipped over the Throwdown experiences.

As a noob, I am glad he did not approve. Seriously, it is quite interesting to read.

Also I am feeling very strong envy that you despite being a full-of-**** ninja always ended up at great schools. I am not the type of person to be envious but thinking about the years I lost still hurts. You can consider yourself very lucky.

Also I am feeling very strong envy that you despite being a full-of-**** ninja always ended up at great schools. I am not the type of person to be envious but thinking about the years I lost still hurts. You can consider yourself very lucky.

As a noob, I am glad he did not approve. Seriously, it is quite interesting to read.

Also I am feeling very strong envy that you despite being a full-of-**** ninja always ended up at great schools. I am not the type of person to be envious but thinking about the years I lost still hurts. You can consider yourself very lucky.

You see I don't see that as luck. Even in the beginning I knew what type of training I wanted. To me Martial Arts was fighting and the pseudo spiritual stuff was dependent on the fact you can fight. To me, I need to see what I am doing is working, I will not take someone's word that it will work. I was too wrapped up in the Ninja aspect and "being a ninja" during college that I didn't realize that Modern Ninjutsu and training in alive manner was incompatible with most of the X-kan schools. So I supplemented with things like No-Gi Jiu Jitsu. Yes, you can say I was lucky that my X-kan school I first went to sparred. But I think if they didn't, I wouldn't of lasted the summer.

It wasn't till after college I realized I could have my cake and eat it too as long as I didn't care it wasn't Ninjutsu. Remember in Chapter 5, I am "kicked out" of a X-kan school for not LaRPing correctly and putting a Black Belt in a Rear Naked Choke.

Ok, you're smart & lucky. I always ended up in crappy schools. Before internet era some really crappy boxing at college, than aikido (which I liked because the people were nice, falling etc...), than crappy judo (oh, the instructor was a very capable black belt, he just wasn't that much pedagogical/interested in n00bs and I never even learned even basic dojo ethics from him - he was even stopping his pupils when they were trying to show me something etc... I had nothing but some condition from visiting that place) , than crappy ju-jitsu. There could be some great schools around but I never found them, and really never much cared for Tae - kwon do which was available. Although it would probably do me waaay more good than aikido.
Being around 29 or so it really started with Gracie - Barra, Allience, some good boxing and recreational judo clubs...

After my experience with the College Samurai I decide I lay low from the LaRPing community. I focus on my Judo, Jujutsu and Kenjutsu for years and earn my Shodan (First Degree Black Belt). However, when I least expect it I get thrown right back into the thick on of the Ninjutsu community.

You seen over these years I switch jobs several times, eventually ended up in a position that required a basic self-defense certification. I know what you are thinking, doesn’t a black belt sorta opt you out of this class? I never asked, I just shut up and did what was asked. I figured, it would be your basic Krav Maga/ Combatives Class, I was so very wrong.

When I get to the facility, I noticed there are several instructors waiting for us. 1 is looks like a D&D nerd, 1 is clearly over 60 and 1 is very overweight. We will call them D&D, AARP and Biggest Loser. We circle around and he asked everyone their Martial Arts background. Its mostly people with Army Combatives Training or no training. I don’t lie to them, let them know I about my Black Belt. D&D quickly asked who my instructor is, he claims to know him but seems uncomfortable. It is then I see why, D&D is wearing Ninja Tabi. I was far enough away before that I mistook them for wrestling shoes. I confirm their X-kan status.

I found out later that they billed themselves has Combatives instructors and the person in charge of training didn’t realize what they hired. But I am there to get my certification and check box. The Highlights of the class include: Pressure Points, Wrist Lock Knife Defenses, dodging water guns (seriously) and some of the most inept striking you’ll ever see. By Day 4, I was bored and people that know me know I can be kinda of a dick. So, during Knife defense, I decide to sweep my opponent and pin his arm to the ground. Biggest Loser then walks behind me and pulls out his wooden knife. He saids something about being on the ground and what will I do now. So I give him a nice solid back kick to the solar plexus, front roll, and come up to my feet with my partner’s training knife. He is pissed and gets up in my face. I remember thinking, “Does this Ninja LaRPer think he can fight?” and “Cool, He is already in clinching range.” After a few tense seconds, I think he remembered, my Black Belt or the fact I am not going to LaRP with him. Either way he walks away and doesn’t talk to me the rest of the class. Later on we are doing wrist lock knife disarms with D&D. D&D doesn’t like the fact that I am not impressed. I am honest and tell him I think they are a low percentage technique that no one in the class will ever be able to pull it off. He attempts to demonstrate on me. Now I have been trained that you don’t go down unless someone puts your down. I don’t go down for his wrist lock. It hurts yes, but I still have enough of my balance. Instead, I could of rolled out of it, but I am kinda of a dick, so I cartwheel out instead. D&D wasn’t happy.

The class ends, I submit my report to ensure these people are no longer hired for future classes. Turns out they submitted a complaint about me, though once I explained the situation to the people in charge of training, their complaint was tossed in the shredder.

But it didn’t end there. When I went back to training the next day it turns out the Ninja LaRPers called my instructor to complain about how disrespectful I was. We had a good laugh about that.